In an HPLC, typically a liquid (mobile phase) is moved through a stationary phase (for example a chromatographic separation column) at a very precisely controlled flow rate (for example in the range from microliters to milliliters per minute) and at a high pressure (typically 20 bar to 1000 bar and beyond, currently up to 2000 bar) at which the compressibility of the liquid is noticeable, to separate single components of a sample liquid which is introduced into the mobile phase. In a flow cell of a liquid chromatography device the detection of the separated fractions of the sample is carried out. For this purpose the fluidic sample is guided by a capillary downstream of the separation column into a container of the flow cell. While the fluidic sample passes the flow cell, a fluorescence measurement of the sample can be executed, whereby the individual fractions of the sample can be identified and quantified respectively.
Such an HPLC system is known from EP 0,309,596 B1 from the same applicant, Agilent Technologies, Inc.
For executing chromatographic separations, different operating liquids, particularly solvents, are necessary. These are filled in open bottles. These bottles are put at the upper side of a liquid chromatography device consisting of multiple modules and are connected to the modules by tubes inserted in the bottles.
In such fluid handling devices the handling of the bottles and tubes is cumbersome for a user because these have to be handled in many cases above shoulder height. Further, because certain solvents are critical for the health, this arrangement of bottles is not hazard-free, because when handling the bottles open at the upper side and tubes above shoulder height, the bottles can be in danger of tipping.